A huge thank you to Vincent Cassidy for the following post about the upcoming London Info International 2017.

Next week on 5th and 6th December London Info International 2017 takes place. LII 2017 is a multi-perspective conference for all those engaged in information, knowledge and its dissemination. Why multi-perspective? Because, unlike other more single audience conferences, this is not a forum for policymakers, funders, academics, publishers and librarians to talk amongst themselves, but an event for the plurality of voices and opinions of all those engaged in information, knowledge, and discourse.

In many ways it is hard to believe that a year has passed so quickly, and yet, we are living in such curious and epochal times that the sheer volume and variety of change seems more than could be packed into a single year.

This was our challenge over the summer as we considered the conference programme, and the conference is quite markedly different from last year, as we felt we had to reflect some of the broader issues now impacting all of our lives, including the world of information. To this end we have introduced two clear new themes; how to interpret, plan and respond to the pace and change in our world; and what to make of the fundamental challenge to truth and verification that seems to be gathering pace.

In the early summer, as we discussed today’s conference content, it was apparent we should leave at least one session for an ‘urgent issue of the day’, and we are glad that in the last few weeks, we were able to add the session, Whose Research Is it Anyway, looking at research output, IP rights and the increasing use of SCNs by end users. We hope we have created a small space to inform and shape this fast developing issue.

Of course, change is a great opportunity for us all, and we have also included sessions on Artificial Intelligence and the role of start-ups in challenging the status quo. Together we very much hope that we have created a programme that captures the essence of our information world and one that stimulates debate and value for you all.

The conference is not possible without the generosity of our speakers and panelists and we thank them in advance for their contribution.

A few delegate places remain and as an SLA Europe member by using the code SLA20 you can get a 20% discount off the two days. We really understand how busy you all are and if you can attend we thank you for giving up your precious time to join us. Please do contribute to the debate, and we hope you have a good time, talking and arguing with old friends and meeting new ones.